Courtesy of LA Tech Athletic Communications
Louisiana Tech returns to the Thomas Assembly Center for a four-match homestand, starting with Sam Houston tonight at 6 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Bulldogs and the Bearkats will also play Wednesday at 6 p.m.
“After picking up some bright spots to build on even in the losses this past weekend, I’m thankful this is a quick turnaround to be able to get back on the court and have another chance to bounce back this week against Sam Houston State,” said Tech head coach Amber McCray. “Our passing will be a critical piece to our puzzle in our ability to be balanced offensively, which is where we are at our best.
“We will also need to be disciplined in all aspects of the game to stay low error and be able to convert more situational plays when we have the advantage. Finding consistency day to day and player to player has been one of our early struggles, but it’s exciting to know how much room we have to reach our ceiling and that we have another opportunity to do that starting tomorrow at home.”
Louisiana Tech (6-11, 0-4) will look to get back into the win column after falling to New Mexico State 3-0 and 3-1 over the weekend. The Bulldogs hit .212 with 72 kills and 86 digs on the weekend.
Meghan Scharpenberg surpassed 1,500 assists in her career on Saturday. The redshirt senior finished with her second double-double of the season with 20 assists and 13 digs in the four-set match.
Charlize Williams continues to be one of the best middle blockers in the league. Williams ranks fifth with 58 total blocks and 1.05 blocks per set. The senior also contributes 1.44 kills per set on the offensive side of the net.
The Bulldogs are one of the top teams in Conference USA with 14.78 digs per set. Their third-best total in the league is thanks partly to Riley Steubing and Izabely Benjamin. Steubing ranks sixth in the conference with a 3.96 per set average. Benjamin contributes 2.74 per set.
Sam Houston (7-8, 2-2) comes to Ruston after being swept by UTEP after beating Middle Tennessee during the first weekend of conference play.
The Bearkats have a balanced offensive attack, with four players averaging over 2.00 kills per set. Alyssa Fielder leads the way at 2.44, followed by McKenzie Morvant with 2.4. Avery Fowler ranks fourth in the conference with 481 assists and 8.91 per set.
Defensively, Hannah Baker is first in CUSA with 4.74 digs per set and third with 256 total digs on the season. Fowler is second on the team with 156. Morvant has been a staple for the Bearkats in the middle for five seasons, with 425 blocks. She currently ranks third with 1.19 per set and fourth with 64 this year.
Sam Houston has a 10-6 advantage in the series, but the Bulldogs are 5-3 in the last eight meetings. However, Tech is only 1-4 in the Thomas Assembly Center, with the last meeting in Ruston coming in 2017.
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